Fulfill Your Vow to God

[a]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth,
    do not be hasty in your heart
    to utter anything before God.(A)
God is in heaven
    and you are on earth,
    so let your words be few.(B)
A dream(C) comes when there are many cares,
    and many words mark the speech of a fool.(D)

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.(E) He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.(F) It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.(G) Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.(H)

Riches Are Meaningless

If you see the poor oppressed(I) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
    permits them no sleep.(J)

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:(K)

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14     or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
    there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
    and as everyone comes, so they depart.(L)
They take nothing from their toil(M)
    that they can carry in their hands.(N)

16 This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
    and what do they gain,
    since they toil for the wind?(O)
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink(P) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor(Q) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions,(R) and the ability to enjoy them,(S) to accept their lot(T) and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.(U) 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.(V)

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them,(W) and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.(X)

A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn(Y) child is better off than he.(Z) It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?(AA)

Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
    yet their appetite is never satisfied.(AB)
What advantage have the wise over fools?(AC)
What do the poor gain
    by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.(AD)

10 Whatever exists has already been named,(AE)
    and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
    with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?

12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days(AF) they pass through like a shadow?(AG) Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

Wisdom

A good name is better than fine perfume,(AH)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(AI)
It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(AJ) is the destiny(AK) of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter,(AL)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(AM)
It is better to heed the rebuke(AN) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns(AO) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(AP) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
    and a bribe(AQ) corrupts the heart.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience(AR) is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked(AS) in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.(AT)

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(AU) better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(AV)
    and benefits those who see the sun.(AW)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
    as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
    Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done:(AX)

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?(AY)
14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(AZ)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life(BA) of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(BB)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time?(BC)
18 It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God(BD) will avoid all extremes.[b]

19 Wisdom(BE) makes one wise person more powerful(BF)
    than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(BG)
    no one who does what is right and never sins.(BH)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you(BI) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(BJ)
    but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
    who can discover it?(BK)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
    to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(BL)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
    and the madness of folly.(BM)

26 I find more bitter than death
    the woman who is a snare,(BN)
whose heart is a trap
    and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
    but the sinner she will ensnare.(BO)

27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[c](BP) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28     while I was still searching
    but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
    but not one upright woman(BQ) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
    God created mankind upright,
    but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance.

Obey the King

Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(BR) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(BS)

Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(BT)
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

Since no one knows the future,
    who can tell someone else what is to come?
As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
    so[d] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
    so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[e] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(BU)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[f] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(BV) with those who fear God,(BW) who are reverent before him.(BX) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(BY) it will not go well with them, and their days(BZ) will not lengthen like a shadow.

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(CA) This too, I say, is meaningless.(CB) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(CC), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(CD) and be glad.(CE) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(CF) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(CG)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(CH) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(CI)

A Common Destiny for All

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(CJ) All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[g] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,
    so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
    so with those who are afraid to take them.(CK)

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(CL) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(CM) and afterward they join the dead.(CN) Anyone who is among the living has hope[h]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

For the living know that they will die,
    but the dead know nothing;(CO)
they have no further reward,
    and even their name(CP) is forgotten.(CQ)
Their love, their hate
    and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
    in anything that happens under the sun.(CR)

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(CS) with a joyful heart,(CT) for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white,(CU) and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife,(CV) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(CW) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(CX) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(CY) for in the realm of the dead,(CZ) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(DA)

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,(DB)
nor does food come to the wise(DC)
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(DD) happen to them all.(DE)

12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

As fish are caught in a cruel net,
    or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(DF)
    that fall unexpectedly upon them.(DG)

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(DH) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(DI) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(DJ)

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
    than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(DK) is better than weapons of war,
    but one sinner destroys much good.

10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
    so a little folly(DL) outweighs wisdom and honor.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
    but the heart of the fool to the left.
Even as fools walk along the road,
    they lack sense
    and show everyone(DM) how stupid they are.
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
    do not leave your post;(DN)
    calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(DO)

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
    the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions,(DP)
    while the rich occupy the low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback,
    while princes go on foot like slaves.(DQ)

Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(DR)
    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(DS)
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(DT)

10 If the ax is dull
    and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
    but skill will bring success.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
    the charmer receives no fee.(DU)

12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(DV)
    but fools are consumed by their own lips.(DW)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
    at the end they are wicked madness—
14     and fools multiply words.(DX)

No one knows what is coming—
    who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(DY)

15 The toil of fools wearies them;
    they do not know the way to town.

16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[i](DZ)
    and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
    and whose princes eat at a proper time—
    for strength and not for drunkenness.(EA)

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
    because of idle hands, the house leaks.(EB)

19 A feast is made for laughter,
    wine(EC) makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king(ED) even in your thoughts,
    or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
    and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:17, and 5:2-20 is numbered 5:1-19.
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
  4. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
  5. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  6. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten
  7. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
  8. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
  9. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child

Instructions on Worship

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,(A) intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority,(B) that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness(C) and holiness. This is good, and pleases(D) God our Savior,(E) who wants(F) all people(G) to be saved(H) and to come to a knowledge of the truth.(I) For there is one God(J) and one mediator(K) between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,(L) who gave himself as a ransom(M) for all people. This has now been witnessed to(N) at the proper time.(O) And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying(P)—and a true and faithful teacher(Q) of the Gentiles.(R)

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands(S) without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,(T) 10 but with good deeds,(U) appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

11 A woman[a] should learn in quietness and full submission.(V) 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;[b] she must be quiet.(W) 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.(X) 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.(Y) 15 But women[c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love(Z) and holiness with propriety.

Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons

Here is a trustworthy saying:(AA) Whoever aspires to be an overseer(AB) desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach,(AC) faithful to his wife,(AD) temperate,(AE) self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,(AF) able to teach,(AG) not given to drunkenness,(AH) not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,(AI) not a lover of money.(AJ) He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[d] respect.(AK) (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)(AL) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited(AM) and fall under the same judgment(AN) as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders,(AO) so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.(AP)

In the same way, deacons[e](AQ) are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine,(AR) and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.(AS) 10 They must first be tested;(AT) and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

11 In the same way, the women[f] are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers(AU) but temperate(AV) and trustworthy in everything.

12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife(AW) and must manage his children and his household well.(AX) 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Reasons for Paul’s Instructions

14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church(AY) of the living God,(AZ) the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery(BA) from which true godliness(BB) springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,(BC)
    was vindicated by the Spirit,[g]
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,(BD)
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory.(BE)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 2:11 Or wife; also in verse 12
  2. 1 Timothy 2:12 Or over her husband
  3. 1 Timothy 2:15 Greek she
  4. 1 Timothy 3:4 Or him with proper
  5. 1 Timothy 3:8 The word deacons refers here to Christians designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in verse 12; and in Romans 16:1 and Phil. 1:1.
  6. 1 Timothy 3:11 Possibly deacons’ wives or women who are deacons
  7. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or vindicated in spirit

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